Antepartum depression among women attending antenatal clinic in a Nigerian teaching hospital

Abstract

Background: Antepartum depression is a clinical depression occurring at any stage of pregnancy. The cause of antepartum depression might be a combination of hormonal changes and psychological factors. Antepartum depression can affect the course and outcome of pregnancy. Objectives: This study aimed to find the prevalence rate of antepartum depression and its determinant among women attending antenatal clinics. Methodology: The study was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey conducted among pregnant women at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, Nigeria. With the use of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, depression was screened among the respondents with the cutoff point of 13. Results: The study comprised 320 pregnant women. The majority (64.4%) of the respondents were below the age of 30 years. The predominant religion was Islam (58.7%). Twenty of the respondents were unmarried (6.2%). Only 2.5% had no formal education. Eighty-five of the respondents reported not having adequate support from their partners. Only 30% of the respondents were in their first pregnancy, and more than 66% were in their third trimesters. The prevalence rate of severe depression was 18.4%. Factors associated with antepartum depression were lack of support, first pregnancy, and third trimesters. Conclusion: This study found that a sizeable proportion of pregnant women attending antenatal clinics suffered from depression and highlighted factors associated with this. There is a need for screening for depression among pregnant women.

Keywords

• antepartum
• depression
• northeastern nigeria
• pregnant women